For starters, many businesses fail to set their Facebook page apart. He says businesses need to brand their page as their own. Although updating statuses are important, it is not enough. He suggests using tabs since they help to create a valuable experience for the user.

While many businesses use features such as Facebook Connect for promotions, Facebook made some changes regarding promotions back in November. The social networking giant said businesses needed to have an approved Facebook application to run any type of promotion. As a result, many small businesses were hurt.

Finn says businesses can get around the terms of service by involving charities. In the end, if the business is able to gain more fans, both it and the charity benefit.

In regards to worst practices, Finn says businesses need to eliminate confusion for users and understand that Facebook users are different than RSS users. He advises businesses monitor all their pages, whether created by them or not, and combine them.

For example, she compares pulling an ad out of a magazine to setting up tabs on a Facebook fan page. Although one encounter is offline and the other is online, the same action is present in both situations.

According to Kelley, the primary distinction between traditional marketing and social marketing is that in social, there is a greater emphasis on social interaction and building relationships. Traditional marketing is accustomed to a one-way communication model and social marketing requires a two-way channel.

Many businesses embraced social marketing early on to simply mimic other businesses. Now, some businesses are hesitant to join after witnessing mistakes others have made by sharing too much information. While Kelley does not think a silencing approach is the answer, she does believe businesses should implement policies for social usage. A balanced approach is the best solution.

Ultimately, marketers need to realize how to make a connection with their audience and make decisions according to what is appropriate for their brand.

In this video, Chris explains that the best way to learn about Twitter is to use it, which is why he used the tool to do his presentation.  He asked 4 questions and received around 165 responses over the course of an hour. His questions were:

1.    How does Twitter help you work on a daily basis?
2.    What’s the best thing that’s happened to you professionally because of Twitter?
3.    How can you use Twitter to increase traffic and ultimately get more business?
4.    What’s your favorite part of the community here?

Some people responded with very serious answers, and others were more light-hearted and funny. Businesses that use Twitter can get instant feedback about what their customers and potential customers think about them. People using Twitter as a personal branding tool can interact with other people that they would have never known if it wasn’t for Twitter.

If Chris had conducted his survey the old-fashioned way, AKA email, he would not have received his results in an hour’s time and also, would not have gotten many of the responses he received. As Chris states, his results show how powerful Twitter actually is. He also proved that Twitter could be used successfully in many different ways.

Chris Winfield, the President of 10e20, gives a few recommendations when getting started with a viral campaign:

1. Have clear goals and objectives

2. Promote great content

3. Contribute to the communities

4. Make sites work together

5. Have good hosting

In the above video from SES Chicago, Chris also adds that a viral campaign is not simply about a great idea. It also takes great execution and promotion which can be done through blogs, social media sites, forums and groups.

There is not a specific time table to know if your viral campaign is working, but all experts advise never giving up.